The Mikel Arteta era started with a 1-1 draw away from home. The 1 point wasn’t ideal, but I think most fans felt very good about what they saw. It was a first step, but for 5 days work, it’s hard to argue there wasn’t progress on the basics.
We conceded a customary goal, looked shaky at the back on occasions, but the team showed far more fight than they have in a long time. We pressed, the boys looked hungry for the ball, they actually turned up for an away game. I enjoyed myself, which felt weird.
Arteta was fairly happy.
“I’m very pleased with some of the things I’ve seen in terms of attitude, character and the passion we showed, and the fight and the spirit the team showed. Spot on, and probably better than I expected over 90 minutes,” Arteta said. “A lot of things that happened in the game [that] we prepared and I think they [the players] understood them and they tried to take them on board and we liked the final product at the end.
“I did not know how long the players would last at that rhythm with the demands I made of them but the attitude was spot on. There are no negotiables at this club, there are standards that have to be done at this club and they held them.”
Outside the simple basics like effort, we also controlled possession like we used to. Our movement going forward had more purpose to it. We only landed 2 shots on target all game, but we had 17 attempts. I think our poor efforts in front of goal were more down to rusty players, youth, and a lack of confidence over anything else. Our chances were in good places on the pitch, and on another day, we’d have scored 4. I’m still having nightmares about Willock at the end. Just blame the rain and too much vegan turkey.
Our delivery was also really bad, even for us. Saka and AMN are not even full-backs, so to be expecting them to deliver like Liverpool was always a big ask. Had we started Hector and Kola, it might have been different. I also thought we missed the power, drive and confidence of an on form Martinelli.
There were a lot of people grumbling about Pepe not starting. For me, if the Ivorian record signing has been ignored by 3 managers all under huge amounts of pressure, I would suspect he probably trains very badly. If you’re not putting the effort in under Arteta, it’s clear he won’t play you. That said, Nelson is way off the pace. He looked a bit more confident than he usually does but his decision making was woeful and his delivery is nowhere near where it should be considering he went out on loan last season.
I also thought Lacazette was off the pace. He made lots of incorrect decisions and his timing was well off, that one-on-one he blew was nailed on in 2016… but he’s been Emeryfied and it’ll take some time to shake that off.
Things I liked…
Arteta managed to get a performance out of Mesut and he talked about it to the press.
“He worked and could have been the difference; we could have scored three or four goals from his balls through,”
“To be fair his attitude in training since the day I walked into the building has been incredible. I said I was going to give a clean slate to everybody and I went to give it to him.
The German was instrumental playing between the lines. His quick passing and clever movement off the ball was a real nuisance. I liked that when he was subbed off you could see his face was blotchy from all the effort. He might not be the #10 of the future, but if we can get him firing, he’d be very helpful to our end of season run… and yes, I am aware Bournemouth are very good to players like Mesut.
Full backs tucking in, a City special, was on show yesterday. It seemed to give our defenders more options as they moved forward and made us a bit more resolute when being countered.
I also thought Torreira had a really solid game, he’s gone from being anonymous to an absolute brute in a week. Long may that continue.
… and say it quietly, Xhaka did a very solid job. Bournemouth are perfect opposition for him, but still, his pass completion was 94% and there was some ambition to his play. Shite defensively and not suited to the league, but you have to give praise where deserved. Word has it he still wants to leave to go to Berlin and I really couldn’t care less, as long as we have a replacement lined up.
So overall, a shite result, but plenty that points to a brighter future. This season might be a write-off (I hope it’s not) but we should start winning if we continue creating that many good opportunities… it’s a promising start. The players responded well to the new demands and the early signs are that Arteta has a good vision of what he wants to do, with the authority to get it done.
I went hard on Emery who couldn’t create an identity in his first 4 months (or ever), many thought I was unfair for this. I personally believe any coach worth a sausage will have his players showing serious signs of their ideas within 3 months. I will stand by that view with Arteta. It’ll take longer for results, because we’ll need better players, but this is a good coach who will take us to a far higher level than Emery or latter years Wenger could. I think we’ll see good things this season, even from these players. I am still excited. You should be too.
Onwards and upwards, a very messy Chelsea next, could be a good home debut for Mikel.
See you there!
First
2nd
3rd
Tr4phy
Too late
While posting I just suddenly thought that you might have been lurking, DM. Should have waited. 😉
🙂
I have to say, I was very pleasantly surprised with our performance yesterday. Particularly the first half (until they scored), we had proper aggression and urgency, and kept our passing short and precise. It’s clear Arteta’s vision is being listened to, at least, and the players are buying into it and trying. It’s going to take a while before we see the realisation of it, but for the time being, an improvement on week-by-week basis is the most important thing. I’ve just finished watching All or Nothing: Manchester City on Amazon Prime. If you haven’t seen it, do so right… Read more »
Good post Pedro.
I also believe that we’ll finally see a pattern as time goes buy by the end of the season.
I just think that we are getting ahead of ourselves. It’s only Arteta’s first game.
Let’s see what he does before losing our heads!
So many positives in my opinion, it will only get better.
If Martinelli is fit, it wil take a while before lacazette can be a regular starter.
“and say it quietly, Xhaka did a very solid job.”
Pretty normal, under a manager who has Sauce and who LOVE him.
” I will stand by that view with Arteta. ”
This one made me laugh hard.
We should destroy Chelsea at home without any problem… if we don’t, I’ll be seriously pissed off.
The opening post just writes itself these days when you’re pushing a well-trodden narrative. “the team showed far more fight than they have in a long time” and for that we should be eternally grateful and it’s all down to Arteta. The chosen one. The Messiah. The Second Coming. Pure comedy.
Yes a lot of positive.
Better attitude, better organisation.
The only bad part was our shooting which was extremely poor. Kept overshooting when under no pressure.
A friend of mine jokingly mentioned to me that maybe the reasons why all our players kept overshooting was either too much frustration energy from Arteta like Pep banning them from having sex or some deflategate.
This blogger will now be even more insufferable, just blog after blog of looking to confirm his biases.
Looking for any excuse to confirm to us he isn’t wrong, and any signs that he might be right, however small the signals.
He writes well, but he’s just a jumped up little twerp, who’s very good at passing his opinions off as facts.
Just watched our game on MotD.
Liked that we were indeed attacking well at the start from the best of reel shown.
Laca should have scored that 1-on-1.
Liked what Arteta said post-match about how it will all be about progressing step by step. Let’s see if he can put his money where his mouth is.
Great post and fair assessment of the game yesterday…..many thanks. An All round better performance. Well done. Pay Rises to be forthcoming . But please lets not forget Bournemouth are filfth- and we are now only 6 points from the Relegation Zone. They are also injury ravaged- so making some pretty passing angles against this lot is hardly surprising. (And lost to Burnley in their last home game.) Artetas test are the next 2 games. Home games against stellar names Let’s see if he can negotiate them? If he does that – then we might well have The Real Deal.… Read more »
Lots of positives yesterday i thought so agreed Pedro. Considering Arteta hasonly had 2/3 sessions, there were a lot of subtle nuances you can see he’s already trying to implement. His use of AMN in build up is very similar to to how Walker is used at City. Acts as another CM in build-up and holds that position when the ball turns over to defend the central areas when the team has counters. Improved energy and workrate from the whole side. Let’s see if they can continue it. Arteta said many of them had cramp after the game. With improved… Read more »
Arsenal’s midfield was okay yesterday, and Ozil had by recent performances a
decent game. However, none of our players in that department are exactly ‘fleet footed’.
What did change compared with earlier games this season was the more offensive approach to the game.
However, our defence continues to be poor. It beggars belief that we conceded
yet another goal in the fashion we did yesterday. Organisationally we are awful.
The decision not to play Pepe in the starting lineup as suggested by Pedro may be down to poor training, but the fact is he is a superior player to Nelson.
Laca was terrible yesterday. Had two/three good opportunities that he should’ve buried. Nelson was wasteful in the final third but it looks like Arteta has taken a liking to him if the end of the match is anything to go by.
I’m sure the team may look a bit different when everyone is fit.
Hope you lads all had a good christmas.
A christmas full of Sauce!!
CG
Seasons greetings.
Don’t write off Pepe just yet.
Trust in Arteta!
Rich
December 27, 2019 09:39:09
—————–
Rich, you must be new here. If you don’t like the “blogger” then you’ll find loads of other Arsenal blogs that will be happy to take you in.
Fuckity bye.
Agree with pretty much everything you say Pedro. Very encouraged, we looked like a different team, more like our old selves. A lot more purpose to our play, better structure and positioning, more energy and more ambition to our play. We even managed to make a better fist of playing it out from the back. Agree Laca was poor. He doesn’t add a great deal beyond striking even when he’s on his game. Won’t be too disappointed if we move him on in the summer. Reiss also looks a bit bantamweight for this league, not to mention his piss poor… Read more »
I am one of those people who didn’t want us to hire arteta. But that game had a lot of positives. What I liked was we were moving the ball faster. At Everton we were moving it at a snail’s pace. There was also a lot of 1 touch passing. We created a lot of space and we should have taken advantage. The final ball and Finishing was lacking. But Still It is early days to judge arteta. Good or Bad we need to wait to make judgement.
Romford Pepe “””””His use of AMN in build up is very similar to to how Walker is used at City”””” Arteta will soon learn that he ain’t at Man City and nor has a surfeit of £50 000 000 full backs at the club to choose from. That is my fear from him (But its early days) He was actually mimicking Pep – with all those rather unsightly player huddles and cuddles at the end of the game. We are The Arsenal We dont do Cuddles. And nor should we mimick anyone. They used to copy us. Every club in… Read more »
The positional play is what i was most encouraged by. It’s not rocket science that Torreira excels in the areas just infront of the back four. Arteta used Xhaka to the left which worked well. First half he was breaking lines a lot and a leftie on that side helps to open up the pitch. Obviously we don’t expect to see him here long-term with his quotes but think Arteta will be looking for another high volume passer there. Would imagine Martinelli and Pepe will be in when fully fit but it’s always hard to predict with managers. Pepe got… Read more »
There were some positives but we desperately need a win.
Forgive the cliche, but whether we get it luckily or deservedly, we need it.
We’re at the business end of the season now and the players have to show a bit of fight. Teams aren’t going to allow arteta to bed in and develop his ideas.
Not at this stage.
Xhaka to Berlin is on sky now.
“There were some positives but we desperately need a win.”
We had 17 shots on goal, i think we were playing to win. Had Lacazette had shooting boots on we win the game so it’s not like you can accuse them of fighting.
He also said last week that he knows results are paramount so e’ll be bedding his ideas in slowly.
Graham
“”CG Seasons greetings.Don’t write off Pepe just yet.”””
Season Greetings Graham, old bean
Its not just me that is writing Pepe off
The last 3 managers dont fancy him either.
If an out of sorts Nelson is being selected over him.
The debate is closed.
He is Garbage.
72 million- down the drain.
Raul should follow into the gutter too.
So many positives to talk about. Where to start Arteta- Good lineup. Wasnt afraid to bin Pepe for Nelson. His tactical intelligence was already on show with all the tweaks he made to Freddie’s 4-2-3-1. First was using Amn as an inverted full back. Drifting inwards a la Walker in possession to overload midfield. It was a role well suited to Amn as he himself has stated he sees himself as a midfielder. And tbf he performed his role well as compared to the very poor performances we have become accustomed to. To be noted we had Nelson on the… Read more »
I think some of you are waking up to the fact that Arteta didn’t manage to perform a miracle yesterday that you were praying for and are now trying to find an excuse for it. Let me assure you that novices cannot perform miracles. I don’t play Poker but I roughly know the rules. What are my chances of winning even one hand against a set of seasoned professionals sat around me?
I don’t know how many analogies or metaphors you need to hammer home the point that this isn’t the answer – not by a long chalk.
We are very weak in the full back department.
Bellerin is shot , Tierney is a crock so we need to go shopping.
There are many solid full backs in the lower teams and in the Championship there’s no need for Jonny foreigners at inflated prices.
Our forwards are poor, one goal in three matches.
Pedro I generally agree but not on delivery from saka
Saka is a winger, good delivery when he does get into positions should be his absolute bread and butter
If you’re a winger and can’t deliver a cross what are you? Iwobi!
Just kidding as it was only one match and I don’t judge off single games, but really wingers should be the best crossers in the term. This is bare minimum as a pro footballer surely
Our forwards a poor? Knee jerk much?
If AMN is smart he’ll take this opportunity because he’s never gonna get a chance as a CM or winger at Arsenal.
The intensity in possession was also a positive.
You know its the good work on the training ground when Sokratis is playing one touch passes .
Completely opposite start to Arteta’s reign as compared to Emery’s. We lost a match we should have won.
I am guilty of being happy watching the game even when we were losing. At least the football is coming back.
Wasi, good post. Don’t think top 4 is available via the league though, only EL. Hopefully Arteta continues to hone the style of play over the course of the next 6 months.
All this hype about Ozil yesterday, a bit weird in my opinion. To me he looked so past it, like a retired ex-player trying to rekindle days gone by but without succeeding.
Here’s hoping from Wednesday we start a clear out of Ozil, Xhaka, Mustafi and Bellerin, of course depending on how much cash was promised to Arteta from Josh for replacements.
Saka and Nelson should spend all day today practicing crosses, theirs were a disaster yesterday.
China1
“Yesterday torreira was excellent. He broke up play and shielded the defense really well and he played a really disciplined role, rarely pushing forwards”
He broke up play in front of his own defence and higher up as well.
One break-up of play was right on the edge of Bournemouth’s own penalty area.
He was everywhere around the midfield and did have a good match as you say.
One of the few times he got caught out though was their goal. Gosling got the run on him to score.
Romford
I think a good run in the second half of the season and its still possible. Spurs are not what everyone thought theyd become under Mourinho. Lampard’s honeymoon period is over.
Wolves probably wont be able to keep up in the EL and the PL + cup fixtures with such a small squad.
Sheffield are playing good football but they dont have enough goals in them and their defence will be found out eventually.
If we win against Chelsea this weekend we will be only 5 points off of them and the CL spot.
“Xhaka to Berlin is on sky now.”
That could break Mikel’s heart.
“They used to copy us.
Every club in the land.”
A long time ago… in a galaxy far, far away… (lol)
Wasi, to get top 4 in the league we have to be almost flawless through the second half of the season. While i’m cautiously optimistic about Arteta he’s still going to have teething problems from now until the end of the season. We can definitely go on a run but for a team who has won 1 in 13 I think it’s a bit unrealistic to expect us to climb over all these teams. Stranger things have happened I guess but I don’t see it. My main priority is to continue to imprint the style, improve us positionally and structurally… Read more »
Xhaka agrees terms with Hertha Berlin.
Hope we can shackle him to Summer…
…. And Rich, this blogger is Pedro who most of us probably started drinking oat milk over and made us brave enough to do so publicly. So if you don’t like him u can go to untold.
Considering the way Arteta used Xhaka as a LCM and high volume passer, what options on the market are there to replace that?
DM most of us watched all or nothing over a year ago
I agree it’s excellent
As for yesterday’s match the green shoots if recovery where there to see thank god
I got shot down for suggesting Emre Can to replace Xhaka.
So… 😂😂
From The Sun:
“the ex-Everton midfielder told Xhaka in private that he can leave the club in the summer”
If true then maybe that we’ll explain Xhaka’s desire to leave now. Of course after telling us to fuck off he should never have played for us again.
“Xhaka agrees terms with Hertha Berlin.”
Best Christmas news so far.
Too bad if it’s only next summer…
“My main priority is to continue to imprint the style, improve us positionally and structurally off the ball. Finish as high as possible in the league and take EL seriously.“
100%
We take care of that and improve on the implementation of Arteta’s ideas and winning will come. The sooner the better of course to breed more and more confidence.
Three consecutive games at the Emirates could help us out, but Chelsea and United amongst them. We’d light a bonfire if we pulled off back to back wins there mind.
CC, t’ll be tough. Chelsea are having problems at home but away from home they are very strong. Both them and United will look to hit us on the counter where their pace is very strong.
Our approach to stopping counters will be key while also trying to make sure we create sufficient chances down the other end. Wondering if Chambers comes back in.
I see the myths are being peddled again regarding Torreira primarily by China1 and Pierre. They keep imagining that Torreira was glued to the spot in front of his own defence for most of the match done I would presume to give out that we saw a master class tactical move from Arteta. Well Torreira won tackles and put in blocks in front of his own penalty area that is true. But he also put tackles in and broke up play higher up in central midfield. He also put in a few tackles and broke up play even higher up… Read more »
Romford
Agree we have to be very good to get into top 4
Thats why I said to have hope and not expectations.
Re-Xhaka
Same thought i had. After finally getting a manager who can get a performance out of him he wants to leave. If he plays well against Chelsea and Manu just like he did against Bournemouth what will the club do then. You dont get many chances to bin a player youve always wanted to bin for a reasonable price.
“But he also put tackles in and broke up play higher up in central midfield.”
Our CBs spent most of the game defending on the half way line so this isn’t surprising.
The aim is to compress the pitch so if the ball turnsover you are in a good position to press and win it back.
Romford
Oh no doubt mate, tbh avoiding defeat in both would do a lot for us so I’d take two draws and use it to galvanise the mentality of the players a bit more. Losing games is wank, but you can spin draws as progress to your side and let the snowball develop.
Re: replacing Xhaka..
Only bonafide option is a Rabiot loan, failing that it’s a less established player and the output we’d get immediately is questionable. Think the club will demand a high fee for now or tell them it’s a deal for the summer.
Romford
True and this was also down to Bournemouth giving up midfield territory.
Their tactic was basically to sit very deep, absorb and have very sporadic attacking counters on Arsenal.
Romford If we are looking for a like for like replacement Rabiot on loan with an option to buy would be the wisest choice. Can and docoure would also be good of we are looking to replace Xhaka with a more powerful physical player.
If*
CC, yeah important not to lose but as Arteta said, we really need to turn the Emirates into a fortress again. It should be the bedrock of us picking up points Unfortunately for Arteta his first two games are as hard as it gets but it would do wonders for confidence if we can get 4 points from the next two home games.
Rabiot is the name that has been banded about and physically he’s in good nic but I don’t know if he’s a high octane passer like Xhaka.
we were definitely moving the ball much quicker and the passing was much better . Think Art may see a bit of sterling in Nelson and with some more concentrated training we may see the player we think is in there but as most people see visually Pepe should be starting that side. Laca well what can you say he had three opportunities that i saw that should have been on target and should defo have one goal out of the chances created , he had a poor game .The defence + Xhaka is a personnel issue as in they… Read more »
Ishola, funny you say that cos Howe said in his conference last night that it was hard to know how to prepare cos they’ve never seen Arteta manage. He said they adapted but was surprised with our energy levels. Challenge is obviously is to improve on this going forward. We’ll see.
Rabiot doesnt look the same player at Juventus.
Haven’t really played consistently for some time now stretching back to his time at PSG. If we sell Xhaka we need a ball playing physical player. Or a Physical player apt at carrying the ball through midfield.
Bournemouth did start the match trying to press higher up but Ozil kept finding space in the pocket between their midfield and defence.
Because of this Bournemouth retreated deep halfway through the first half and the whole of the second half.
“After finally getting a manager who can get a performance out of him”
Absolutely priceless.
Xhaka is now a top player, after only 1 game under Handsome Mikel…
lol ?
Habesha, do you think they’re similar? Xhaka strikes me as more of a DLP while Rabiot i’d say is more B2B and ball-carrier.
There is noticeably less pressure now. Under Emery it was this build of toxicity/pressure and the need to get in the top 4. Arteta walks in and it’s go on son, we’re not getting top four, so do what you want. I think that release of pressure explains our more liberated start yesterday (and also Bournemouth giving Ozil way too much space early on).
As matches go on though, the pressure will build again, angst amongst fans will fester, and let’s see whether this more free-flowing football continues. That’s when we will see how much difference Arteta has really made.
What are some good athletic players who are good passers from deep too?
Ndombele is the archetype for me. Shame he’s at Spurs
Romford Pele
“What are some good athletic players who are good passers from deep too?Ndombele is the archetype for me. Shame he’s at Spurs”
N’Dombele has a weakness though and probably many won’t see it as such.
He can overplay, over dribble in midfield and get caught on the ball leading to turnovers for the opposition.
Good footballer but needs to learn when to release the ball to others more quickly at certain times. Other times his dribbling of course can be an asset.
Also not sure how good he actually is defensively.
Ishola “He also put in a few tackles and broke up play even higher up than central midfield. He actually put in a tackle and broke up play bang right in front of Bournemouth’s own penalty area. He must have got a nose bleed in that play as he was so high up.What Torreira did yesterday wasn’t sitting in front of his own defence.” Your understanding ( or misunderstanding)of Torreira’s role doesn’t surprise me. Torreira played in the middle of the pitch , never out wide , never in the opposition’s box and was predominately sitting in front of the… Read more »
HL
No-one suggested he is a top player .
Arteta just deployed a tactic to allow him to play to his strength and hide his weaknesses. It didn’t transform him into a top player but we definitely got a good performance from him.
Ishola, of course but he’s still young and those things can be ironed out.
Players like Ndombele are massively valuable because they allow you to break opposition blocks and can also be helpful when you’re pressed to alleviate pressure.
Many players have weaknesses but the right system can help to mitigate against it while accentuating their strengths.
Pierre
Xhaka many times drops deep because of his physical limitations.
Torreira goes hunting for the ball.
You are falsely putting out that this is something new we are seeing from the team presumably because you want to credit Arteta.
Well it’s nothing new Pierre.
Ishola
“Bournemouth did start the match trying to press higher up but Ozil kept finding space in the pocket between their midfield and defence.Because of this Bournemouth retreated deep halfway through the first half and the whole of the second half.”
I think you’ll find that Bournemouth going one nil up was the time they started to sit deeper as they could then play on the countef.
Ishola
“Xhaka many times drops deep because of his physical limitations.”
It was an obvious tactic as he dropped deeper when we were in possession of the ball…
Pierre
Bournemouth were very concerned about the space Ozil was getting in the pocket for the first 20 minutes or so.
They sat deep midway through the first half in central midfield.
Their goal came from pressing the flank and it was noticeable that their pressing as a whole decreased after the first 20 minutes or so.
Paulinho, kind of ideal conditions for a young progressive coach. Expectations should be low for someone picking up the wreckage of a very average manager that tanked the belief and confidence of a squad mid season.
Expectations will be top 4 next season. If we’d fired Emery prebreak, he’d have had a far better chance of making that happen this season.
Guns of brixton, how does oat milk fart smell coz you are right inside where its being released?
Xhaka had an overall decent game because he was afforded time on the ball in central midfield.
Bournemouth gave up that area to Arsenal halfway through the first half.
We all know Xhaka likes time on the ball.
Again this is nothing new.
People just imagining this is some new concept because of Arteta lol
From what I saw of him at psg hr is very much a passer first and a ball carrier second. He almost looks like toni kroos in style. I think he could be a mass passer if you instruct him to. He would also have the added bonus of contributing in the final third unlike Xhaka.
From what I saw of him at psg he is very much a passer first and a ball carrier second. He almost looks like toni kroos in style. I think he could be a mass passer if you instruct him to. He would also have the added bonus of contributing in the final third unlike Xhaka.
“People just imagining this is some new concept because of Arteta”
HOW DARE THEY ??
Danny
“All this hype about Ozil yesterday, a bit weird in my opinion.”
He could and should do more in my opinion.
When he was on the ball he was good , created chances , linked the play well but he needs to demand the ball more as he drifted out of the game
I would think Arteta will demand more from him in the coming weeks , take a few more risks and be braver on the ball.
Chelsea have a good form away from home, thus it is crucial the midfielders beware of Kante and mount.
They will want to make it difficult for the passers-Xhaka or Ozil to play people on the wing. Or the spaces that may be left by the wingbacks(if Chelsea play 3 at the back this will be the case).
They did this against Spurs pretty well.
What is Chambers status for the next game?
Ishola, do you have problem with Torreira. Even in your comments, its clear. He might not have sat deep as you alluded but I find it a bit sarcastic from u. No offense though. DM, are u saying City is a successful club based on what? Kindly clarify. I’m not surprised by the result. It was expected. Vitality Stadium is a place we usually struggle so a point is good though it’ll have been much better with a win. Chelsea’s away form is frightening to us. They tend to play well away from home. Hope we win as one poster… Read more »
HighburyLegend
”HOW DARE THEY ??”
How dare you! says Greta. How dare you!
Romford I think Rabiot has that passing element in his locker, only he comes with more of an ability to glide past folk. Idk his current situation at Juve, but I loved him at PSG and he’s long been a player I think would excel in our side. Gorgeous player in full flow, and levels above Xhaka. January is a shit period to do prominent transfers so it’s not an easy one to answer as far as what ball-users might be available mid-season. The ones that come to mind you cannot imagine disrupting their seasons and I don’t think there’s… Read more »
KAY Boss
“do you have problem with Torreira”
No.
I find it funny though that certain posters keep imagining how he plays or is meant to play.
Thankfully Arteta’s Arsenal his showing small but tangible progress in a very short time.
Xhaka got time on the ball yes. Why? Because Ozil was initially picking up the ball in very dangerous positions behind the defensive line and threading the forwards. Bournemouth didn’t want that anymore so they dropped off. That gives Xhaka more time and space. Essentially they’re going to have to do one or the other. It’s to the benefit of the team.
Greta Van Fleet ?? lol
CC, I can’t lie i’ve never been totally enamoured with Rabiot but would obviously give him a chance if he came here.
It remains to be seen what Arteta chooses. He’s spoken about the need for athleticism and intensity but at the same time needs to balance that with players who are creative and will help break down the deep blocks we will inevitably face.
Romford.
That is right. If the fear factor returns(opponents planning for counterattacks rather than playing toe to toe, case in point Brighton at home earlier this season) , indeed we need to have players that can break down deep blocks.
Dani Parejo of Valencia is also another mass passer. Though he too has limitations defensively.
Major, it’s a mix. We need both athleticism and creativity. That’s why the two central players i’d buy would be Grealish and Soumare.
CC
I rated Rabiot very highly too when he was at PSG.
Specifically I remember a game very well PSG vs Barca . Rabiot completely shut Messi off in that match.
He has always had that passing and gliding ability in him + good defensive output.
His time at Juve has not been good though.
He cant seem to usurp an ageing Matuidi and a young Bentancur. + I saw bits of him against Inter on YT and he was pretty poor imo.
Romford
I think Grealish is the type of free 8 who would work very well in a 3 man midfield.
If Arteta wants a 4-3-3 then Grealish would be a mo brainer. But I cant see him being that effective in a 2 man pivot. Leaves a lot to be desired in the defensive side of the game.
Romford What do you find off-colour about Rabiot? Totally agree, a team full of Moussa Sissoko’s isn’t going to do us any favours at all. That’s the point Gambon and myself were making last time out regarding Xhaka, if he’s sold it’s his use of the ball that needs replaced/mitigated in the side or there’s little gained. CM was an area Weagle and I covered in the summer over a few chats, both wanting more of a turnover in the engine room because Torreira hadn’t done great, Rambo was off, Elneny pants, Guendouzi young, and Xhaka not entirely suitable. We… Read more »
Wasi, a three-man midfield of Torreira, Soumare and Grealish would be a nice blend of attributes imo. Athleticism, defensive nous, press-reistant players and final third ability.
How about the captain of Nice.
Cyprien.
He can play, physical enough and him being captain would suggest leadership qualities which is always welcome.
https://soccersouls.com/why-arsenal-must-reignite-their-interest-in-wylan-cyprien/